The present invention relates to a cooperative work support system and a computer readable medium which provides a responsive cooperative work environment for work such as presentations and cooperative writing.
This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. Hei 10-31063, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
As computer networks have progressed in recent years, a concept of CSCW (Computer Supported Cooperative Work), which facilitates multi-user cooperative work using computers networked together has been developed. The CSCW is realized by a cooperative work support system, which allows users to work together through the computer network.
FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the structure of the cooperative work support system of the background art.
Files shared by terminals 21 to 23 are stored in a file system 421 of a server 20. To access the shared file according to shared application programs 721 to 723, a request for permission is sent to other terminals using inter-host communicators 711 to 713, and information of the file to be accessed is sent to shared file provider 411 in the server 20 through lines 511 to 513.
On receipt of the information, the shared file provider 411 reads the shared file from the file system 421, and sends it through lines 511 to 513 to the shared application programs 721 to 723 in the terminals 21 to 23. Thus, the file stored in the file system 421 can be shared by and utilized in all of the shared application programs 721 to 723.
However, since the main storage area available to the shared application programs 721 to 723 is limited, when a user refers to data portions in references during the cooperative work, the data portions of the file must be re-read from the file system 421 using the shared file provider 411 in the server 20.
When the transmission rate of the lines 511 to 513 is low or congestion occurs with transactions from the terminals 21 to 23, responses of data requested by the shared application programs 721 to 723 may be delayed. Therefore, the multi-user cooperative work from the terminals 21 to 23 is often interrupted and responsive cooperative work cannot be achieved.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a cooperative work support system and a computer readable medium which provide a responsive cooperative work environment for work such as presentations and cooperative writing.
In order to accomplish the above object, the cooperative work support system of the present invention has a plurality of terminals in a communication network, wherein each terminal comprises: a cooperative work execution means for providing cooperative work by the terminals by sending and receiving data between the terminals through the communication network; a specification means for specifying a file in the terminal as a shared file to be used in the cooperative work between the terminals; a shared file storage means for storing the shared file specified by the specification means; a shared file information transmission means for transmitting information of the shared file to the other terminal through the communication network; a shared file information storage means for storing the information of the shared file; a determination means for determining whether the shared file specified by the cooperative work execution means exists within the terminal, based on the information of the shared file stored in the shared file information storage means; a transmission request means for creating and sending a transmission request to request transmission of the shared file when it is determined by the determination means that the shared file does not exist within the terminal; a transmission means for transmitting the shared file to the shared file storage means in the terminal which is the sender of the transmission request in response to the transmission request; and an update means for updating the information of the shared file in the shared file information storage means when the shared file is transmitted from the terminal.
In the cooperative work support system of the present invention, when it is determined that the shared file exists within the terminal, the cooperative work execution means uses the shared file stored in the shared file storage means, when it is determined that the shared file does not exist within the terminal, the shared file being transmitted by the transmission means from the other terminal to the shared file storage means, the information of the shared file being updated by the update means, and the cooperative work execution means using the shared file stored in the shared file storage means.
The terminals in the cooperative work support system have shared file storage means for storing the shared file. Even when the shared file exists in the other terminal, the shared file is transmitted, so that the cooperative work execution means can utilize the shared file within the terminal. Therefore, the cooperative work support system of the embodiment prevents delays in response to access to a shared file and provides a responsive cooperative work environment without interruption.
In the cooperative work support system of the present invention, the transmission means obtains the storage position of the shared file in the shared file storage means from the information stored in the shared file information means, the transmission means transmitting the shared file according to the obtained storage position.
In the cooperative work support system of the present invention, the shared file information transmission means transmits the position in the shared file storage means as the information of the shared file specified by the specification means, the shared file information storage means stores the storage position in the other terminal transmitted from the shared file information transmission means of the other terminal, the transmission request means transmits the storage position in the other terminal with the transmission request, and the transmission means transmits the shared file according to the storage position transmitted from the transmission request means.
In the cooperative work support system of the present invention, the shared file storage means stores the storage position of the shared file specified by the specification means, and the transmission means transmits the requested shared file according to the storage position of the shared file in the shared file storage means.
In the cooperative work support system of the present invention, the information stored in the shared file information storage means includes a sharing time of the shared file, and each terminal comprises: a time determination means for determining the sharing time of each shared file stored in the shared file information storage means after the cooperative work execution means terminates a process; an information determination means for determining the other information of the shared file when it is determined that the sharing time of the shared file is temporary; a first deleting means for deleting the information of the shared file from the shared file information storage means when the information determination means determines that the other information indicates a predetermined first value; and a second deleting means for deleting the information of the shared file from the shared file information storage means and for deleting the shared file from the shared file storage means when the information determination means determines that the other information indicates a predetermined second value.
The terminals in the cooperative work support system have shared file storage means for storing the shared file. Even when the shared file exists in the other terminals, the shared file is transmitted, so that the cooperative work execution means can utilize the shared file within the terminal. Therefore, the cooperative work support system of the embodiment prevents delays in response to access to a shared file and provides a responsive cooperative work without interruption.
A computer readable medium of the present invention contains program instructions for managing a groupware application for specifying a file to be used in a plurality of terminals in a communication network as a shared file, the program instructions including instructions for performing the steps comprising: storing the shared file specified by the groupware application; registering predetermined information of the shared file specified by the groupware application into a list; transmitting the information of the shared file specified by the groupware application through the communication network; adding the transmitted information of the shared file transmitted in the list; determining whether the shared file specified in execution of the groupware application exists within the terminal, based on the information of the shared file stored in the list; transmitting a transmission request to request transmission of the shared file to the terminal which is indicated by the information of the shared file in the list when the shared file specified in execution of the groupware application does not exist within the terminal; transmitting the shared file specified by the transmission request to the terminal which is the sender of the transmission request; and updating the information of the shared file in the list when receiving the shared file.
In another aspect of the present invention, a cooperative work support system has at least a first terminal and a second terminal in a communication network, wherein each terminal comprises: a file system for storing a shared file; a file transmitter for transmitting the shared file between the first terminal and the second terminal; and a sharable file list manager for registering shared file information into a sharable file list.
The sharable file list manager in the second terminal determines whether the shared file exists within the second terminal based on the shared file information, and sends a transmission request to request the first terminal to transmit the shared file to the second terminal when the shared file does not exist within the second terminal, the file transmitter in the first terminal sends the shared file from the first terminal to the second terminal through the communication network in response to the transmission request, and the sharable file list manager in the second terminal updates the shared file information in the sharable file list in the second terminal after the transmission of the shared file.
The sharable file list manager deletes the shared file information according the shared file information after use of the shared file. Further, the sharable file list manager deletes the shared file according the shared file information after use of the shared file.
The sharable file list manager in the first terminal sends an addition request to request the second terminal to add the shared file information to the sharable file list, with position information which indicates the position of the shared file in the first terminal, the sharable file list manager in the second terminal sends the transmission request to the first terminal with the position information, and the sharable file list manager in the first terminal sends the shared file from the first terminal according to the position information from the second terminal. The first terminal may read the shared file in response to the transmission request using a link in the file system in the first terminal.
In another aspect of the present invention, a computer readable medium contains program instructions for handling a shared file in a cooperative work support system which includes at least a first terminal and a second terminal in a communication network, the program instructions including instructions for performing the steps comprising: registering shared file information to sharable file lists in the first terminal and the second terminal; determining whether the shared file exists within the second terminal based on the shared file information; sending a transmission request to request the first terminal to transmit the shared file to the second terminal when the shared file does not exist within the second terminal; sending the shared file from the first terminal to the second terminal through the communication network in response to the transmission request; and updating the shared file information in the sharable file list in the second terminal after the transmission of the shared file.
After using the shared file, the program may delete the shared file information according to the shared file information, and may delete the shared file according to the shared file information.
The program instructions include instructions for: sending an addition request to request the second terminal to add the shared file information to the sharable file list, with position information which indicates the position of the shared file in the first terminal; sending the transmission request to the first terminal with the position information; and sending the shared file from the first terminal according to the position information from the second terminal. The first terminal reads the shared file from a file system in response to the transmission request using a link stored in the file system.
The information includes a transmission flag which indicates whether the shared file is transmitted to the second terminal, a provider terminal which indicates a provider of the shared file, the position of the shared file in the terminal, a sharing time of the shared file, and the information includes a shared file name.
The each terminal in the cooperative work support system has shared file storage means for storing the shared file. Even when the shared file exists in the other terminal, the shared file is transmitted, so that the cooperative work execution means can utilize the shared file within the terminal. Therefore, the cooperative work support system of the embodiment prevents delays in response to access to a shared file and provides a responsive cooperative work environment without interruption.
By adding the sharing time to the information of the shared file, a permanent shared file and the information thereof remain in the shared file storage means and in the shared file information storage means after completion of the cooperative work execution means. The unnecessary shared file and the information thereof are deleted after the completion of the cooperative work execution means, thereby increasing the storage capacity.